Psalms 102 KJV
A Prayer of the Afflicted
About This Psalm
A prayer of the afflicted when overwhelmed. My days vanish like smoke. But God remains the same forever.
1ear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.
2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.
4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
12 But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.
13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.
14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.
15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.
16 When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;
21 To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;
22 When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
23 He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.
24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.
25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.
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Did You Know?
Psalm 102 belongs to the traditional set of seven Penitential Psalms, yet uniquely moves beyond personal confession to intercede for Zion's future restoration, modeling how individual affliction can fuel corporate eschatological hope.
Verses 25-27 are quoted verbatim in Hebrews 1:10-12 and applied to Christ, using the psalm's contrast between perishable creation and God's unchanging years to argue for the Son's eternal supremacy over angels.
The psalmist's self-description as 'a pelican of the wilderness' and 'owl of the desert' (v. 6) echoes ancient Near Eastern lament motifs found in texts like the Babylonian 'Poem of the Righteous Sufferer,' linking Hebrew poetry to broader Mesopotamian suffering literature.
Its superscription 'A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is overwhelmed' is one of the most explicit in the Psalter, framing the entire chapter as a prescribed liturgical text for those experiencing overwhelming distress rather than a private composition.
The closing declaration that the servants' children 'shall be established before thee' (v. 28) subtly echoes the Abrahamic covenant promises, transforming a lament over personal mortality into a reaffirmation of enduring divine faithfulness to future generations.
Commentary & Study Notes
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Psalms 102 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: A Prayer Of The Afflicted, &C.--The General Terms Seem To Denote The Propriety Of Regarding The Psalm As Suitably Expressive Of The Anxieties Of Any One Of David's Descendants, Piously Concerned For The Welfare Of The Church. It Was Probably David's Composition, And, Though Specially Suggested By Some Peculiar Trials, Descriptive Of Future Times. Overwhelmed--(Compare Ps 61:2). Poureth Out--Pouring Out The Soul-- (Ps 62:8). Complaint-- (Ps 55:2). The Tone Of Complaint Predominates, Though In View Of God's Promises And Abiding Faithfulness, It Is Sometimes Exchanged For That Of Confidence And Hope.
A Prayer Of The Afflicted, &C.--The General Terms Seem To Denote The Propriety Of Regarding The Psalm As Suitably Expressive Of The Anxieties Of Any One Of David's Descendants, Piously Concerned For The Welfare Of The Church. It Was Probably David's Composition, And, Though Specially Suggested By Some Peculiar Trials, Descriptive Of Future Times. Overwhelmed--(Compare Ps 61:2). Poureth Out--Pouring Out The Soul-- (Ps 62:8). Complaint-- (Ps 55:2). The Tone Of Complaint Predominates, Though In View Of God's Promises And Abiding Faithfulness, It Is Sometimes Exchanged For That Of Confidence And Hope v1-28
1-3. The terms used occur in Ps 4:1; 17:1, 6; 18:6; 31:2, 10; 37:20. 4. (Compare Ps 121:6). so that I forget--or, "have forgotten," that is, in my distress (Ps 107:18), and hence strength fails. 5. voice . . . groaning--effect put for cause, my agony emaciates me. 6, 7. The figures express extreme loneliness. 8. sworn against me--or literally, "by me," wishing others as miserable as I am (Nu 5:21). 9. ashes--a figure of grief, my bread; weeping or tears, my drink (Ps 80:5). 10. lifted . . . cast me down--or, "cast me away" as stubble by a whirlwind (Isa 64:6). 11. shadow . . . declineth--soon to vanish in the darkness of night. 12. Contrast with man's frailty (compare Ps 90:1-7). thy remembrance--that by which Thou art remembered, Thy promise. 13, 14. Hence it is here adduced. for--or, "when." the set time, &c.--the time promised, the indication of which is the interest felt for Zion by the people of God. 15-17. God's favor to the Church will affect her persecutors with fear. 16. When the Lord shall build--or better, "Because the Lord hath built," &c., as a reason for the effect on others; for in thus acting and hearing the humble, He is most glorious. 18. people . . . created--(compare Ps 22:31), an organized body, as a Church. 19-22. For--or, "That," as introducing the statement of God's condescension. A summary of what shall be written. to loose . . . appointed--or, "deliver" them (Ps 79:11). 21. To declare, &c.--or, that God's name may be celebrated in the assemblies of His Church, gathered from all nations (Zec 8:20-23), and devoted to His service. 23-28. The writer, speaking for the Church, finds encouragement in the midst of all his distresses. God's eternal existence is a pledge of faithfulness to His promises. in the way--of providence. weakened--literally, "afflicted," and made fearful of a premature end, a figure of the apprehensions of the Church, lest God might not perform His promise, drawn from those of a person in view of the dangers of early death (compare Ps 89:47). Paul (Heb 1:10) quotes Ps 102:26-28 as addressed to Christ in His divine nature. The scope of the Psalm, as already seen, so far from opposing, favors this view, especially by the sentiments of Ps 102:12-15 (compare Isa 60:1). The association of the Messiah with a day of future glory to the Church was very intimate in the minds of Old Testament writers; and with correct views of His nature it is very consistent that He should be addressed as the Lord and Head of His Church, who would bring about that glorious future on which they ever dwelt with fond delightful anticipations.